This invention relates to the general field of manufacturing bread wafers, such as those used for religious communion.
Generally communion wafers are made with flour and water, without leavening or additives. To be appropriate for use in communion, the product must be soluble in the mouth and not brittle or cracker-like. The product should also have a long shelf life.
Traditionally, communion wafers are formed from bread sheets that are created by cooking batter between metal plates in close adjustment. The wafer thickness varies from about 0.030 to 0.072 inches.
Cavanagh et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,831; 4,621,997; and 4,469,476 describe specific methods and apparatus for manufacturing unleavened wafers, such as those used in the Eucharist. In general, batter is baked into a thin sheet of unleavened bread, friable outer crusts and a relatively soft, porous center. The wafers are punched from the sheet using a roll with wafer-cutting cavities. A design in the cavity is imparted to the wafer during cutting.
Attempts to increase thickness generally require increased temperature, risking scorching and an undesirable crystalline texture. Thicker products also exhibit undesirable crumbling and cracker-like brittleness.